Authors : Luis Tinoco-Gracia , Hector Quiroz-Romero , Maria Teresa Quintero-Martinez , Tomas Benjamin Renteria-Evangelista , Alberto Barreras-Serrano , Sawako Hori-Oshima , Gilberto Lopez-Valencia , Alma Rossana Tamayo-Sosa , Gerardo Medina-Basulto , Paulina Haro-Alvarez , Manuel Moro and Javier Vinasco
Abstract: Lyme borreliosis, a worldwide zoonotic disease and characterized by polisystemic disorders, is caused by the spirochete B. burgdorferi, which is transmitted by a tick bite, primarily from Ixodes scapularis and I. pacificus. In Mexico, native Lyme disease has been recently reported in humans, while canine B. burgdorferi infection has been also reported in several areas of the country. In Monterrey, Mexico, a seroprevalence of 16% was observed in dogs (160/850) and molecular evidence was found in canine synovial fluid. Moreover, a preliminar study performed in 2003 in Mexicali, Mexico showed a prevalence of 7.4% (7/94) in dogs infested only by the tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus. The aim of this study was to estimate the seroprevalence of B. burgdorferi in dogs captured by personnel from the animal control centers in the city of Mexicali. Blood samples from 384 dogs were randomly selected from February 2005 to December 2006 and their sera were analized by the semiquantitative kit Borrelia burgdorferi ELISA® Helica Biosystems, Inc., with 96% sensitivity and 95% specificity. An adjusted prevalence of 12% (95% IC 7.5-14.3%) was obtained using the Rogan-Gladen estimator. The seroprevalence obtained in this study was lower compared to those in Monterrey (16%) where the principal vector was Ixodes scapularis and in Sao Paulo, Brazil (15.6%) where the main vector was Amblyomma cajennense. No risk factors were associated with B. burgdorferi seropositivity. This study confirms the existence of B. burgdorferi past/present infection in dogs in an area where the only identified tick is R. sanguineus.
Luis Tinoco-Gracia , Hector Quiroz-Romero , Maria Teresa Quintero-Martinez , Tomas Benjamin Renteria-Evangelista , Alberto Barreras-Serrano , Sawako Hori-Oshima , Gilberto Lopez-Valencia , Alma Rossana Tamayo-Sosa , Gerardo Medina-Basulto , Paulina Haro-Alvarez , Manuel Moro and Javier Vinasco , 2009. Prevalence and Risk Factors for Borrelia burgdorferi Infection in Dogs of Animal Control Centers from Mexicali, Baja California: A Mexico-US Border City. Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 8: 251-254.